


Watching the Horizon

by dosmilkshake



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, M/M, Past Character Death, too much vague information in short span of time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-26 04:03:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12548412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dosmilkshake/pseuds/dosmilkshake
Summary: He was trained to be prepared for everything. Nothing prepared him when he only discovered his watchful neighbor left.





	Watching the Horizon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ohdyoskai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohdyoskai/gifts).



The railing is cold. He can feel the dirt collect on his hand as he trails it up only because the touch is like passing through a timeline of his memories climbing up the steps. He can hear his own laughter as his older brother chased him up the steps racing to get the sweets their mother promised after their studies. He can see the drag of his palm on the day he reluctantly returned home with a feeling in his gut that he had failed the New Order’s SOFEH (Selected Ones for Future Exemplar Heroes) Test, but he also remembers how is fingers kept a loose grip on the bar, his new ring clacking against the metal as he hurriedly aimed to reach the top only to tell her he passed.

Now, he takes his time. It’s been two years since he last saw his family. Two years since he’s heard his mother arguing to his brother about needing to find a wife.

He wonders what has changed since he was last home. Did his mother ever get rid of the awful wallpaper that coating the dining room walls?  Has his brother taken over his portion of their shared room? Will they notice differences in Kyungsoo? Surely the most noticeable is a sleek pink scar that stretches from mid-forehead, through his eyebrow at trailing off at the tip of his cheekbone. Slight hesitancy runs through Kyungsoo’s bones as he ascends the stairway and down the hall to apartment 709.

In the distance, he can see the fiery red sky in haze of heat and explosions. He would be there right now in the middle of it if he didn’t sneak away without telling his supervisor. However, he received an urgent voice message from his brother asking him to return home because their mother was sick, and what kind of son would he be if he didn’t do anything her could to return home?

His footsteps feel heavy as he is at the last stretch of distance that separates him from knocking on the door that he calls home. A door slams on another floor following voices. He enters the code pad and opens the door watching his shadow stretch from the bleeding light into the black room. He stretches his hand, fumbling for the switch until a soft yellow light fills the room. He blinks.

Checking the number on the door before he peers back inside confused. The room that would be full of familiar belongings, the waft of his mother’s favorite candle, and the warmth that would fill his chest with the single word ‘home’ was empty. Not a single trace of life left in the room. There is nothing.

Kyungsoo steps inside and the stale taste of dust and new paint permeates his nasal passages. The urge to call for his mother or brother is strong. He desires a simple confirmation of familiarity. Something.

His mother’s room is in the same state as the living room. Cold. Empty. He checks the room he shares with his brother. Even his stuff was completely gone as if his whole life didn’t unfold before the very walls. He suddenly feels very suffocated.

Exiting the apartment, Kyungsoo pulls out his communicator and begins to dial his brother. He scans over the door for any sign of eviction notice. They shouldn’t have missed a payment not since the government was still paying for his father’s sacrifice and including the sum Kyungsoo sends for his service with in the New Order’s Regiment.

“Do Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo turns to see his neighbor and junior from school. “Kim Jongin?”

Jongin flutters his eyelashes curiously, cocking his head as his gaze falls to his communicator to his name tag pinned to his uniform and back to his face. “What are you doing here?”

“I,” Kyungsoo receives no answer from his communicator. “I came to visit my family.” Something clicks in his mind. “Do you know where they are at?”

Jongin bites his lip. Only then does Kyungsoo realize how much his neighbor has grown up. The last time he saw Jongin was before he found out about his results from SOFEH. Their classes were across each other. Kyungsoo passed by the windows on his way to the bathroom and peaked inside. Jongin was resting on the palm of his hand, eyes trained to something outside. He had a slight pout on his lips.

Almost feeling Kyungsoo’s eyes on him, Jongin turned just in enough time to meet gazes before Kyungsoo disappeared behind a wall. Then when Kyungsoo returned, he couldn’t resist the urge to peer back in only to see Jongin waiting for him, his eyes unreadable as they stay connected until Kyungsoo was forced to turn away to enter his class.

It wasn’t a significant moment, but Kyungsoo always found the boy slightly interesting. He was curious. Always so silent. Kyungsoo would look for him in the mornings while the entire school would line up in front of the statue and repeat the New Order’s Speech about being loyal to the government and promising to protect it from the rebellions destructive hands. Kyungsoo spotted Jongin every morning barely moving his mouth, eyes never fixed on the statue of the Only One.

Kyungsoo heard rumors from his mother how odd Jongin’s family was: how they were related to people in the rebellion, how Jongin’s elder sister disappeared with a man that was known to be running for the government for blasphemy against the New Order.

They never really spoke to each other. Only terse nods and held silent passing conversations with their eyes that never really told Kyungsoo anything. But their friends group knew of each other. Kyungsoo would listen acutely when they brought up the boy’s name, sometimes he would interject as if he knew him, but it was all based on observations. In the end, that’s all Kyungsoo did learn, was how to watch and read the silent and mysterious Kim Jongin.

After Kyungsoo passed his SOFEH test, he has no clue what happened to Jongin. Kyungsoo never heard his name brought up in the new recruits the year after he was sent to train, the year Jongin would’ve been in if he passed. Kyungsoo always assumed he was placed in another career path.

Jongin’s hair is no longer a shaggy mess but his hair pushed to the side, strands gently lifting and blowing in the breeze. In his hands are full plastic bags stuffed of food. Kyungsoo sees the veins pressing into Jongin’s skin, lining his arms.

Jongin shuffles his feet seemingly uncomfortable with Kyungsoo’s question. He bites his lips, turning the skin pink. “They were here one day. Then gone the next.”

A frown pulls at Kyungsoo’s lips, eyebrows furrowing. It is answer that is careful, timid, full of precautions. Secrets.

He is intuitive. Kyungsoo has to be. The New Order is so precise on every single measurement, that Kyungsoo must look for flaws. He’s realized after four years working his way up in the Regiment that the New Order is very good at hiding their flaws.

The need to panic sets in, but he’s spent those years training and practicing the art of not panicking during stressful encounters. But he never expected to find his family missing without a word. The scar over his eye itches.

“What do you mean? Did you hear anything? Do you know anything?” Kyungsoo questions, his tone turning harsh not to harm Jongin, but to protect himself. He needs to know they are okay.

Jongin looks warily over his shoulder. Kyungsoo caught the frown pulling down at the sight of the CVT camera. “You might want to come inside.” He says before going to his door and inserting his code until the little chime goes off. Kyungsoo stares at the open door, a little shocked that he was just invited to Kim Jongin’s house.

Never in his life would he imagine toeing off his shoes and filling a space on Jongin’s couch while the male puts away his groceries. Kyungsoo waits with his knees jittering under his sweating palms. Jongin moves around swiftly in the kitchen, almost like a dance over the linoleum tiles.

While looking around the room, he notices the zero pictures of Jongin and his parents. The walls were bare, the room spotless, too spotless for an apartment with a person living in it. Kyungsoo shuffles in his seat.

“Where is your mom? She used to bring my mother these herbals for her headaches.” Kyungsoo watches Jongin’s back. The muscles of the male’s back stiffens, shoulders slightly twitching up before relaxing. If Kyungsoo had blinked her would’ve missed the change of demeanor.

“She and my father passed.” Jongin says casually despite the body language he was just given off. “A few months after you left for training.”

Kyungsoo exhales, unknowing his was holding his breath. “I didn’t know. I’m-”

“Don’t!” Jongin turns around, voice raised, “say you’re sorry. That’s the worst thing you can say.” He sighs before trudging over with two mugs. He nudges Kyungsoo’s hand with it until his guest takes it. “They’ve been more watchful. You can’t just go around and say things. Your brother, from what I heard, was in contact with the rebellion and was offering information about the New Order by using his connection to you. First, came a warning three weeks ago. I thought you would have been told about their treachery to the New Order.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, “I’m unaware. I’ve been on deploy with little contact to the outside world. I received a call from my brother, somehow he got through the blocked transmission, telling me to come home because my mother was sick. I had to sneak off base to come see them.”

Jongin’s eyes go soft while staring at him, now sitting across from him, “Your mother wasn’t sick. I can attest to that. I saw her over a week ago. She was perfectly fine, happy. Your brother was a little off, but two days later they were gone. I had heard the New Order came and took them away, but I only saw them emptying the apartment.”

Nodding, Kyungsoo stands. Jongin looks shocked, eyes wide, a bit panicked. “Where are you going?”

“Thank you for your hospitality and for telling me what you know. I must go back to base and try to find information about my family.” Kyungsoo says making his way back to the door. An arm comes out to stop him.

“You can’t leave.”

Kyungsoo realizes how much taller Jongin has become. In high school, they were the same height. Now, he’s eye level with his mouth which is parted as a tongue flicks over the surface nervously. Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow when he meets Jongin’s eyes.

“If you leave, the Regiment will ask you where you went off too, they’ll know you tried to visit your family. Your position will be in compromise and will probably put lock you up as a traitor or just kill you there. Your family needs you, you can’t put your life at jeopardy because of that.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes turn into slits while Jongin’s cheeks go pink. “How do you know so much about the Regiment? You know something but you’re not telling me.”

Jongin’s eyes flick over Kyungsoo’s to something else in the room, but Kyungsoo is already on him. He shoves him into the closest wall and presses his forearm into the juncture of Jongin’s neck, holding him in place. Jongin winces in pain from his back hitting the wall.

His eyes are wide and imploring into Kyungsoo’s. They’re pressed together, Kyungsoo using his body to cage the rest of Jongin in to prevent a reverse of positions. For some reason, Kyungsoo feels like he’s in high school again. His eyes always following, searching for Jongin, so close but so distant.

What kept them separated all these years was an invisible force that Kyungsoo was too scared to break through. He can’t say he truly broken through it by aggressive force because Jongin has the same look whenever they locked stares. Like he knew what Kyungsoo wanted to do, wanted to say, and didn’t need words to explain.

Jongin’s gaze slides down Kyungsoo’s face, and Kyungsoo feels his face heat up. He’s curious too. From Jongin’s almond brown eyes to his straight nose down to him parted plump lips. Kyungsoo swallows. “Kyungsoo,” Jongin croaks out, deep and low with a tone sends an unfamiliar ripple of nerves and fire down into his belly.

“KIM JONGIN.” A loud voice rattles the front door, surprising them both and separating quick. “By a license from the New Order, you are under arrest for committing treason against the New Order. You have ten seconds to open this door willingly or we will break it down by force.”

Jongin doesn’t take a moment before he is grabbing things around the room and shoving it into a bag he got from one of the bedrooms. Kyungsoo stands in the living room looking dumbfounded and confused. Jongin nods to the window he slid open.

The door begins to rattle harshly with loud voices calling for Kyungsoo’s neighbor.

Jongin stretches out his arm to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo stares at it. “You’re part of the rebellion.” Kyungsoo accuses, his tone harsh, hurt, and intrigued.

Jongin just rolls his eyes and urges, “Come one. They’ll kill us both if they catch us.”

Kyungsoo grudgingly grabs his hand and climbs out of the window grumbling curses under his breath. “I can’t believe I let you trick me. I will kill you before the New Order, I can promise you that.”

Jongin snorts, “Sure, sure, let’s put the techniques the New Order taught you to test.”

Kyungsoo glares at him, but Jongin’s words have his mind scanning his brain for information that lead to the reason why they are escaping from the government. How deep is Jongin in the rebellion? How long has he been in cohorts with them? How much of his words were lies? What does he know about his family?

“I’ll explain later. For now, can you please move faster?” Jongin pants.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, but obliges. When the reach the ground, Kyungsoo punches Jongin hard in the arm. Which earned a whine that Kyungsoo receives satisfaction from hearing the sound.

 

 

“You’re kidding?” Jongin stares incredulously at the bike Kyungsoo is already sliding his leg over.

Kyungsoo growls, “You put me in this situation. Get on or I will leave you here for the New Order to find you.”

Jongin puts his hands on his hips, “Like you know where to go.”

Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow, “I think you miscalculate my position in the New Order and the access I have to their files. If you don’t get on this bike, I will use force. We already saw what my ‘New Order training’ can do compared to you combat skills.”

Jongin flushes, remembering him ending up with Kyungsoo straddling him effectively and accidently kneeing Jongin in the crotch. His nether regions throb at the memory. He, unwillingly, slides onto the leather seat behind Kyungsoo.

Already jumpstarted, the bike hums under him. Kyungsoo feels Jongin’s thigh press into his hips, a pair of hands entangling into his shirt. Jongin shouts directions every few minutes until they are far from the city and their legs ache from sitting for so long.

Kyungsoo pulls over to fill up the gas tank of the bike. “So where are we going exactly?”

Jongin leans against the bike snacking on a bag of chips he got from the vending machine. “To the rebellion’s headquarters.”

Kyungsoo gapes, “Headquarters? Who even are you?”

Jongin turns somber for a moment, “You never tried to know.”

Kyungsoo blinks, “I…” He is speechless for a moment. “Do you know anything about me?” He spins the question.

Jongin kicks off the bike and steps towards Kyungsoo until there is a sliver of distance separating them. The same tension from before rolls in making the air static. “Of course. I always kept tabs on you. I became friends with some of yours just hoping we would finally meet officially since you wouldn’t approach me on your own. I learned about you through them. I didn’t know you passed your SOFEH until it was too late. You were already gone. That’s when I got to meet your family. Your mother would invite me over for meals after my parents died.”

Kyungsoo drops his gaze. Then his mind clicks, “You’re not the person that jeopardized them? Were you their connection?”

Jongin bites his lip, “They learned about the rebellion through me. Your brother wanted to know more, so I offered to get him in touch with someone. The past few weeks I have been traveling a lot from the headquarters to home, so I am not sure how careful he was being.”

Kyungsoo slams his fist on the bike, “Dammit Jongin. How could you put my family at risk like that? I know they are not your own family, but at least-”

“Don’t speak like you know something about my family. Fuck you, Kyungsoo, for thinking I didn’t care for your family. Of course, I did. More than myself. If I could have stopped, I would have! If I was there, I would have risked everything to protect them for you, but it was too late.”

“For me?”

The gas pump clangs notifying their full tank.

“It was always for you.”

 

 

Kyungsoo trails behind Jongin as they walk around head-quarters which was hid within a mountain. Kyungsoo knows for sure the New Order wouldn’t expect this is where the rebellion is stationed. He introduces Kyungsoo to many people. Some already seemed to know Kyungsoo and greeted him with a warm smile. “So glad you decided to join the rebellion. We’ve been waiting for Jongin to convince you.”

It confused the hell out of Kyungsoo, but he took it in stride. He would make Jongin explain once they were alone. However, Jongin drags him around until the reach, what he calls, ‘pods’ where families who’ve escaped the New Order live. Jongin stops at one sector where everyone lives in these little rooms called ‘pods’.

“Jongin, I’m really tired, and have been through a lot today. I don’t think I can meet more people that know about me when I have never heard of them before. Can we talk tomorrow?”

Jongin pouts teasingly, “I thought you might want to meet them first.” He slides open the door and Kyungsoo is engulfed in a familiar scent and hears the guffawing of his brother.

Kyungsoo’s lungs deflate in relief, heart swelling with happiness. He turns toward Jongin while he hugs his mother, but he is already gone. “Mom, Seungsoo, how did you guys get here? What’s going on?”

His mother leads him to a seat of their small one room pod. There is a bunk bed in the corner, which Seungsoo sits down on, and another bed pressed to the opposite side for his mother.

“Jongin brought us here.”

“What?” Kyungsoo exclaims, “He told me you were taken by the New Order.”

Seungsoo nods, “We were. After they sent us a warning, we were afraid that they would come for us. So Jongin helped us pack and drove us here to headquarters. He’s a really cool kid. I don’t know why we weren’t friends with him before.”

“But why? Why would you betray the New Order?” Why would you betray me, Kyungsoo thinks. He never saw the New Order in a bad lighting or a good lighting. It was just there, it was all he had ever known. And they promised to take care of his family, how could he hate something that allowed him to protect his family?

Seungsoo goes somber and glances at their mom. Kyungsoo can see how much they have aged in the past two years. While Kyungsoo was a piolet flying over the battlefields, his family was fighting their own battle that he was unaware of.

“They killed Dad, Soo.” Seungsoo meets his eyes with the same brokenness Kyungsoo feels filling his chest. He glances over to his mom to see her quickly wiping her eyes. “He was working with the bomber teams, and while testing, he discovered the formula to completely wipe out the rebellion. But he destroyed it until they could even get to it. They killed him out of rage for what he had done.”

Kyungsoo doesn’t cry while he listens to his brother. His father’s death had become something he was immune to, but he felt the pain, dull in his chest, and when he pulled his mother into another hug while she sobbed, the pain felt a bit sharper.

 

 

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo spots the male the next day wearing a full body suit that really hid no parts of his body. His slender hips and long, muscled legs were prominent. Kyungsoo licked his lips unconsciously before drawing his gaze back to Jongin’s expectant face. “Can we talk?”

Jongin leads him to his own pod which was littered with books and snack wrappers. Jongin sheepishly tries to clean quickly making an excuse that he hasn’t been in his pod for a couple of weeks.

“Explain.” The older crosses his arms and impassively waits for Jongin to open his mouth.

“Where do you want me to begin?” Jongin asks just as serious.

Sighing, “I guess at the beginning, how you joined the rebellion.”

The younger nods and offers Kyungsoo a seat, “They we have to go even further back to my father and your dad. My parents have been a part of the rebellion for as long as I can remember. They had good standing with the New Order too. Headquarters found out about your dad was one of the leads for creating a bomb to end the entire war, but it would also be used to destroy everyone that lived outside the capital, even the people who were fighting on their side.

“We were relocated to the apartment next to yours in hope that my father could get in contact with yours and tell him the true intentions of his experiment. You dad had just joined the rebellion when he was killed by the New Order. They figured just as much, so they kept a close eye on you and your family to see who was coming in contact to him through the rebellion. My father had to lay low to stay safe for a few years.”

“Where do I come in?”

Jongin gives him a crooked smile and rolls his eyes, “I’m getting there. With your family being watched, my dad asked me to keep an eye on you, to make sure no one tried to harm you for answers. But the government laid back once you were halfway through high school and Seungsoo was showing no signs of knowledge about your father’s history. I thought we would get relocated.

“My dad started to take up other jobs for the rebellion and you, you were finally going to take you SOFEH. This was the New Order’s way to see how much you knew. I thought you were safe when you thought you had failed, but when you had passed, you were gone before my father and I could get to you. The New Order thinks from your results that you know something about your father’s discovery. It would be anytime now after getting you to trust them, that they would’ve asked you about it, possibly tortured your family for answers.”

Jongin grows quiet for a second, “My parents died a few months after you left. They were being followed on one of my father’s missions.  I was repeatedly questioned if I knew anything about my father’s activities, but I had to pretend I didn’t because I had my own mission, which was to protect you and your family. I got close to your mother and your brother, but the New Order was back to their heavy surveillance of your family and Seungsoo wasn’t as careful. I had to get them about before they could be harmed.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, “Then why did you lie to me? All of this, this charade, how you pretended to be intere- how you used my friends to get information about me in school, why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

“I wasn’t sure you would believe me. I knew you were loyal to the government, but I wasn’t sure how loyal. I couldn’t be sure that I could explain everything without having you go to an official and get my entire family killed. Yesterday when you showed up for your family, I knew that I could convince you. You snuck away for them.”

“Of course, I did! They are all I have left.”

Jongin shakes his head, “Not everyone would. If you returned, they would have punished you harshly for leaving without permission.”

“Why am I here now?”

Jongin’s eyes widen and he plays with his fingers in his lap, “You know the inner workings of the New Order. Headquarters could really use someone like you. Now that I brought your family here, my mission is done, so I assume I’ll be picking something else up around here.”

Kyungsoo chews on the inside of his cheek needing to say what has bothered him from earlier, “You said you stopped keeping an eye on me during high school, but you were always watching me, why?”

The question takes Jongin by surprise, reddening his cheeks. He stares at the floor before answering, looking like a child who is being scolded despite the male has a past of dangerous missions completed during a war. “You’reinterestingandIwantedtoknowmore.” He mumbles.

“What was that?” Kyungsoo pries with a small smirk rising on his lips.

“I said, what about you? Every time I was looking at you, you were looking back.” Jongin points out loudly.

Kyungsoo wonders that too. Why did he always follow Jongin when he didn’t know the boy? He was quiet, mysterious, and good looking. He paid attention to whenever his friends brought Jongin up, so why… “I was drawn towards you. I guess I felt the same as you did.”

The room is silent after their confession. Slightly awkward but not to where Kyungsoo squirms in his seat.

“Well, I guess the last item of discussion is will you help us out? The rebellion, I mean. I know your history with the New Order. You’re one of the best piolets. We could really use your insight on how the New Order works.” Jongin has hope in his eyes, but Kyungsoo isn’t exactly sure who he’s fighting for just yet.

But in the end, his family is safe, and he owes that to Jongin and the rebellion. In return, “Yes, I’ll help end the war."

 

**Author's Note:**

> In a week, I turned your prompt into something you probably did not intend. And the romance is so low-key??? But I wanted more of an open ending just cause I want to drive myself crazy with possibilities. I hope you enjoyed this mess^^


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